The Art Of Normalcy
by KiwiPants
Summary: Life for a 17 year-old guy is easy, right? Not when you morph into a giant dog and have to play Dad to your two sisters. And then add a girl. For Paul Rivers, life isn't about actually being normal. It's about perfecting the Art of Normalcy.
1. The Art Of Normalcy

**Hello, reader! I don't know how it happened, but instead of posting this document, one of my Jared/Kim documents was posted. A few of you liked that chapter and seeing as how it has 11 other chapters, I encourage you to read them too :) I was inspired to write a Paul/Mina/Rachel love triangle and... well, here it is! Remember, we're early in the universe, Rachel won't be around for a little while but, hence, the love triangle! Okay. Read! **

The Art of Normalcy

Paul

Life for a seventeen-year-old boy is pretty simple, right? Get decent grades, play a little football, play a little lacrosse, party a little, and get as much sleep as possible, right? Well, yeah. Of course, that's if you don't morph into a giant wolf at will, have to raise your two younger sisters, and if you actually want to make something of yourself, thereby taking advance classes as a junior in high school.

Welcome to my life.

I shouldn't complain. The state gives us money. Everyone I know pitches in to help with Tessa and Laura when they can. We have our health, we have each other, and we have shelter and food. That doesn't make anything easier, however. There's only so much Emily and Mrs. Tala can babysit and there's only so many times we can skip out on the doctor. And sometimes we get on each other's nerves… and by sometimes, I mean all the time.

Like now. Tessa was thirteen years old and wearing a black leather skirt and a tube top out at ten o'clock on a Saturday night ready to go Lord even knows where… is that normal?

"Uhh, where are you going?"

"It's really none of your business, Paul," she said brattily as she started marching toward the door in three inch heels.

Stay calm. "Tessa, please. Can you not be difficult right now? I had a long day."

"_You've_ had a long day? _You_. I see. So it doesn't matter that _I've_ been up since four am and _I've_ had to work all day until _I_ came home to watch Laura? I've had a long day too, and I want to go out with my friends." It was hard, I knew that; we were all pulling tight schedules. That didn't make it right for her to be going out like that.

"Tess, I have no problem at all with you going out. Just not like that. And you have to be home by twelve." That wasn't unreasonable… was it? I had no idea. That's the problem. I have no idea how to raise a nine-year-old and thirteen-year-old. So I was constantly questioning myself. Was it normal to have left-overs more then twice a week? Was it normal for Laura to eat the same thing everyday for lunch… was it normal for Tessa to not eat lunch at all?

"What the hell do you mean I have to be home by twelve and what is wrong with my outfit?" I love my sister, I really do. But she has to be the most annoying person to ever grace the face of the planet.

"Tessa, we're not arguing over this. Either go get changed or you're not going out. And if you're not back by 12:05 _the latest_ then you won't be going out _anywhere_ for a month. Understand?"

"No, actually, I don't. Fuck you! I'm leaving," she screamed at me, familiar anger coloring every syllable.

"Tessa!"

"You're not my dad! You're just my stupid, narrow minded brother who doesn't know what he's doing." How could I argue with her when she was so right?

"You're right Tess, I'm not your dad, and I don't know what I'm doing. But as your brother, I'm asking you not to go out like that because no self-respecting girl goes out like that past midnight. I don't want you going out like that because I love you and I don't want you to get hurt. Guys get the wrong idea about girls that are dressed the way you are now. I _do_ know that." Her hand was on the door, her high heels pointed towards the street, ready to run. It's not like she hasn't before... I really wasn't in the mood for playing catch tonight.

"I hate you," she whispered brokenly, putting a knot in my stomach.

"I know," I stated simply as I walked cautiously over to her, almost afraid of her reaction, and hugged her tiny little body. It wasn't her fault that her life was like this. All she wanted to do was go out with her friends and forget about the world for a couple of hours. I would let her, I would understand her, but within reason… I was being reasonable, right?

"If you don't want to go out, we could, ya know, have a family night. Sound of Music, chocolate ice cream, nice warm fire?" Please say yes.

"Fine. But only if I don't have to babysit tomorrow."

"Done. Now go get changed and I'll get Laura." Crisis avoided, mental fist pump of victory commence! I would sacrifice my Sunday to stay home with Laura any day if that meant Tessa was not going out on a Saturday. She sighed and walked through the small living room and towards the back of the house.

It hadn't always been like this. I mean yeah, there was always no dad. But there was a mom until last year when she didn't come back. Not that she was of any use anyway. But it was still nice to say I had a mom. No one knows where she is and I don't have time to find out. So we went on living like it was nothing new. Tessa got a job at the general store down off of Adler, Laura went straight to Emily's or Mrs. Tala's house after school, and I cut down minimally on patrol time. But it still sucked.

I had always been ambitious academically. Well, my best friend Jared was ambitious academically and I just wanted to be in the same classes as him so I followed suite, but I found my niche in the AP and honors classes too. I encouraged Tessa and Laura to do the same because I wanted them to be better than what they are predestined to be. I wanted them to go to college and become larger than life - larger than the Olympic Peninsula, more specifically. They were stuck here, tied down because of our ancestors and lack of finances. And I wanted them to have all their options open when the time came. I wanted to give them the world that wasn't given to me. And I would. But they needed to work hard too. So we were all tired and cranky most of the time. But we loved each other and that's what kept us from homicide.

I shook myself back into the present and made my way to Laura's room, knocking gently before getting permission to come in.

"Hey Cupcake, we're having family night. Want ice cream?"

"Yes! I love when you and Tessa are actually talking!"

"Yeah, me too." I smiled at her as she put away her art supplies neatly. "What are you working on?" Laura loved art and she spent a lot of her time painting or drawing. Her artwork was displayed all over the house in varying degrees of appropriateness. Handprints in the kitchen, stick figures in the bathroom, and most of her most recent work hung in the living room.

"It's a new piece. Mrs. Tala gave me the idea. Did you know that she paints too? Well, anyway, she showed me a multi-media thing she did with a person and a tiger and they were in this jungle and…" I listened to her rattle off some art terms and go on and on about 'multi-media and it's importance in the modern art world though it is sometimes not given the credit it's due'. That nine-year-old little girl amazed me sometimes. Her eyes sparkled as she zoomed around the small room, organizing her desk in the back half of the room. Her colored pencils were looking a little low in number. I'd have to pick some up soon.

"… and it was _really_ nice and – Paul, are you listening to me?"

"'Course I am, Cupcake! Chocolate or vanilla ice cream?" Ice cream was always a good distraction. She stopped bustling for a minute to think. Her little eyes scrunched up and she crossed her arms in deep concentration. She looked like she was making a decision on the global economy. Well, when you're nine, ice cream is an important matter, I guess.

"Both, I think. One scoop of each, please and thank you."

"You got it Cupcake."

I passed Tessa in the living room as she loaded the old school VHS. The Sound of Music was both her and Laura's favorite movie. Guess it's a Julie Andrews thing but it always put us in a good mood.

So I fixed three bowels of ice cream, one chocolate and vanilla, one just chocolate, and one mint chocolate chip, and sat down in front of the fireplace with my sisters as the hills came alive with the sound of music. We weren't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it was days like these that I didn't mind our situation all that much.

Tessa, Laura, and I fell asleep in the living room and I was awoken to the sound of howls. Not bad howls, but the 'you need to get your ass to patrol' howls. I groaned a little and gently removed a snoozing Laura from my chest. She made a little noise of discontent as my extra wolf heat left her and I threw a blanket over her. I took one last glance; they were so peaceful when they slept, not a care in the world. I scribbled a note and rushed out of the door, already half undressed.

_ Paul, I understand your situation, but you can't be more than twenty minutes late for patrol. _

_ Sorry, boss. _

_ It's fine. Just uh, don't let it happen again. _

_ You got it boss. _

_ Jared will be here in an hour. You think you can handle yourself? _

_ Yes, boss. _

_ Well, all right then. Howl if you need anything. _

_ Okay, boss. _

Sam's thoughts faded as he phased. He usually was pretty laid back but it was early morning and he liked to make breakfast for Emily on Sunday mornings. It's an imprint thing, don't ask. Speaking of, I happen to be the only member of the pack that hasn't imprinted. Which may or may not be a good thing. I could imprint and then not have to worry about a relationship – it just comes naturally to imprinting couples. Or I could imprint and it could screw my whole mentality up.

Like Sam, all he ever thought about was Emily. And Jared only thought about Kim. Which sucked because we had been best friends until, like, a month ago when he decided to go all goo-goo eyes over Kim Morgan. I mean, she was hot, but not that hot. Anyhoo, that's two-to-one odds! A little unnerving, not going to lie. I have no time for it anyway.

My legs were starting to hurt. Not because of how fast I was going but because of how tired I was. The sun was just starting to rise as Jared's thoughts faded in.

_ I wonder if Kim would like me better if I grew my hair out. Does she like boys with long hair? I'm in so far in over my head._

_ Well, good morning to you too, Jay. _

_ Sorry, Paul. You know how imprinting goes._

_ No, actually I don't._ I didn't mean to be snippy.

_ Whatever_. We ran in silence after that. It's not that I wanted to be nasty, it's just sometimes I forget the fantasy world that Jared lives in. My brain ran in circles about the upcoming week. Laura's babysitting was taken care of, she had an art show on Wednesday, and I had a quarterly parent teacher conference on Friday for Tessa. Plus school, homework, and patrol. Should be fun. I sighed and tried to shake the tired out of my bones. My head started to become light on my body as I focused solely on the worn path in front of me.

_ You okay man? _

_ Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired. _

_ Go home, shit's almost up. _

_ Sam doesn't like when we skip out early, you know that._

_ I'll deal with Sam._ The offer was too good to give up.

_ Thanks, Jay. _

_ Anytime, bro. _

I ran home quickly, afraid that Tessa might be awake and freak out that she couldn't go get breakfast with friends because I wasn't there to watch Laura. I made it into the house without a sound and they were both still passed out on the couch. Relief washed over me and I was tired again. So incredibly tired.

The clock read ten after ten, meaning that it was breakfast time. Was it worth it to go to sleep for twenty minutes? No. I sighed and grabbed the pancake mix from the pantry quietly. Being a werewolf meant that there was no need to actually try and be quiet, which was awesome for coming home and not waking anyone up.

Werewolf. I turn into a giant horse-sized ball of fur. I exist to protect people from vampires. Like I didn't have enough on my plate. I was raising two kids, I was trying to set a good example, I was trying to make good decisions. Add another full time job and you've got an extremely tense, angry, pissed at the world person… or mythical creature. I was lost in my thoughts as I flipped pancakes, making sure there were some with nuts and some with fruit and a lot with chocolate chips.

I loved my sisters. I'd give my life for both of them. But that didn't mean that I didn't have a shit load of pent up frustration. Why me? Why now? Why us? My dad was never in our lives. And I guess when he left, he took my mom's heart with him, because she left too. Gone, like they never even existed. I was so lost inside my head that I didn't even notice when Laura snuggled up to my side in her little pink flower pajamas.

"Paul?"

"Huh?"

"The pancakes are ready to be flipped."

"Gotcha." She lifted my arm so that it was fitted around her shoulder.

"Cold?"

"Nope… just… I don't know. Lonely?" My youngest sister and I were on a different page. Sometimes she said stuff that threw me so far off guard.

"Why are you lonely?"

"Because you're cooking pancakes just like Mom used to. You know? Like how she used to add nuts and bananas _and_ chocolate chips?" I instinctively pulled her closer.

"Yeah, I remember." What else do you say to a nine-year-old that tells you she misses her mom who's not coming back? I sure as fuck didn't know. So I went with something that all girls seemed to like.

"I love you Lau, you know that right?"

"Yeah, I know. But sometimes I think that you shouldn't be doing all of this. I know you left for patrol really early and now you're even making the pancakes that taste really good and I-I'm sad that you can't be normal anymore." She was incredibly insightful for a nine-year-old.

My heart ripped in half as I felt a few tears drip down my torso on the side that her cheek was against. I lifted her easily into my arms and her legs dangled to my thighs. She was so small, compared to me.

"I'm so sorry, Cupcake. If I could fix it I would." I'd give anything to make this right.

"I don't feel bad for us, Paul, I'm sad for you."

"Don't be sad for me, Cupcake. Don't be sad for us. Be happy that I have you and you have me and we have Tess and we have health and shelter and food. Be happy, Cupcake. Please." I felt like crying. But I was the big brother and no matter what, big brothers do _not_ cry. They did, however, get angry and angrier.

So, life is complicated. What else is new? Let's add a girlfriend. Or a girl, at least.

Jared and I were always the first people in AP US and Mina and Kim came later. Kim took her seat next to Jared, Mina took her seat next to me.

She was pretty: dark hair, light blue eyes, and soft colored skin. And everyone knew her. She was Mina Weller. She loved horses, she loved to throw parties on the beach, her favorite color was yellow and she hated mean or grouchy people. She had a normal, nice life. And I liked her because of that. She was like a breath of fresh air.

"Go ahead students!" Mr. Kelly's voice brought me back to planet earth.

"What happened?" I honestly had no idea… I was too busy staring at that little patch of skin that wasn't quite covered by Mina's yellow shirt and her jeans.

"Group project on the role of women in the late 19th century. Library now." I didn't need to be told twice. I grabbed her hand and we ran into the library, sneaking past Mrs. Iris, the librarian, and into a small empty conference room near the back.

"Elizabeth Cady Stanton and this other lady-" I cut her off by kissing her against the door. There was no need to pretend that we were just group partners anymore.

She was tiny to begin with but pinned between me and the door, her body pressed flush against mine, she was even smaller. She kissed back, arching into me as I massaged her backside. We only had 40 minutes, after all.

"We… have … to work … on this project… eventually." She said between hot, open-mouthed kisses.

"Sure, sure," I said as I started sucking on that really soft part of her neck.

"You-you're going to leave a mark."

"So?" She was breathing heavily as I started to move my hands higher. As a wolf, the primal part of you grew bigger than normal. And as a guy, it was pretty big to begin with. So even though she wasn't my imprint or in heat, I wanted her.

It was so easy to just concentrate on her body and mine for a few minutes. The only thing I thought about was the little sounds she made as my hands roamed over her torso and up toward her rib cage. I lifted her by the waist higher up on the door and she wrapped her legs around my torso. I removed her shirt with ease, not taking my time.

"We can't." Her voice was a couple octaves higher than usual as I kissed along her neck.

"Who said?" I would be respectful if she wanted to stop.

"We're in the library!" So she didn't want to stop. Excellent.

"The door's locked." She still didn't stop me and even leaned forward to make it easier for my hands to travel up her back and unclasp the pretty pink lace bra she was wearing.

Twenty minutes left. Her skin was lighter on her chest and her heart hammered as I set my mouth to work. I wanted to touch but my hands were holding her against the door by her ass, which was soft and warm in my hands.

I tasted the right one first, gently swirling her nipple with my tongue and she arched against me again. Next came teeth and I grazed mine over the now extremely hard peak. And then I sucked, harder and harder until her tiny hands were nearly ripping my hair out. Then I turned my attention to lovely number two. She cursed and messaged my shoulders as I worked my magic. Her legs became vices around my stomach and I could smell her desire. She wanted me too.

I glanced quickly at the clock, five minutes left. I finished with time to spare and slid her down a little on the door so that I could kiss her more easily. "We don't have anymore time," I whispered into her mouth. She groaned and leaned her forehead against mine.

"You're really warm." Her voice was a little shaky and my ego smiled.

"Too warm?"

"Nope… are you sick, though?"

"Nah, just hot blooded."

"I see." I didn't really want to talk anymore so I set her down on the floor gently. I slid her bra on, kissing her neck while I clasped the back. Her shirt was lying on a chair and I helped her put that on too, kissing her one last time as we grabbed a few books that were on a small table near the windows so it looked like we actually did something educational. I cleared my throat as we walked out of the conference room, trying to act as normal as possible for the fifth time in three weeks.

"So we still have to read up on Elizabeth Cady… uh…"

"Stanton. Elizabeth Cady Stanton."

"Got it. I'll text you tonight or something about the-uh, supplies that we'll need for the poster."

I tried to hide my smile as we walked past the librarian, who waved at Mina and smiled, pleased with our topic of discussion. If only she knew that we had nearly defiled one of her conference rooms. Gotta love high school.

We walked back into the class room where there were small groups of partners scattered about, talking about their topics and what not.

Jared and Kim sat near the back and were obviously not talking about women in the 19th century. I was in a good mood, and I smiled at Jared as he glanced up at me and gave me a quick thumbs up. The bell rang and we all filed out. Time to snap back to reality.

The thing about being normal is that no one is. Yeah, I morph into a giant wolf, I have no parents, I play Dad to two girls, I work harder at getting ass ninth period than history, and I have anger issues. But the art of normalcy is to make everyone else think that everything is fine. I go to work, I go to school, I try to set a good example for my sisters and I'm not worried about girls in the least. And I am the most patient, understanding guy ever. That's what everyone needed to believe.


	2. One Day At A Time

**Hello! Welcome back to all of those who have already read. I've kept my promise and I even started a new chapter in Mina's POV. I view love as something unbelievable and passionate; all love is intense, especially for those you care about. And if you truly love someone, you'll do anything for them, risk everything and hold them high above everyone else. Dishonor will never come to them as long as you're here. That kind of plays into this chapter. Any opinions? Drop a review if you fancy :)**

Paul

Life went on like it always had and always will. I've found that to be an important lesson. Life goes on. Jared disappeared except for when we were on patrol together and even then, it was all about Kim. Kim this and Kim that. Isn't Kim a pretty name? I knew her almost as well as Jared at this point. I guess it was good that I knew the best friend of the girl I was screwing around with.

Speaking of, Mina was sitting next to me at my kitchen table, writing big curly letters on our Women's Rights poster.

"Do you like art?"

"Meh. Take it or leave it. My mom is more of the Art person. She helps run that gallery down in Port Angeles." She didn't look up as she answered me.

"Yeah. I've been there a couple times with Laura. And Jared's mom works there too sometimes."

"Mhm." I liked it this way, not a lot of talking, nothing too deep or complex. Just a guy and a girl. It was normal...

That was until Tessa burst through the door in a fit of sobs.

"What's wrong?" I was immediately on Big Brother Alert.

"That _asshole_ tried to fucking _rape_ me!" Keep control. She's more than likely exaggerating.

"Elaborate." Mina stopped drawing and looked up at me.

"He's a lying, cheating, bastard and when I wouldn't fucking suck his dick he tried to rip my goddamn hair out and shoved me at his pants. _Fucking_ _asshole_!" My eardrums started to explode inside my head with each word she screamed at me. My hands started to shake, the semi-rational part of my mind losing control of my completely irrational body.

"Who? Who did this?" I screamed right back. Dysfunction at it's best.

"Fucking Nikko Davies." I inhaled deeply, differentiating between the scents in the room - Mina's light floral, Tessa's sharp vanilla, and something else. Something like... wood. The hard, solid scent of burnt wood. It was all that I needed.

"Give me ten minutes," I said to Mina and she nodded at me, her arms around Tessa's shaking body. I was running full speed, using my nose as a guide, downtown. How could I have let this happen? I was her big brother, I was supposed to protect her at all costs and I had no fucking idea that she had just been assaulted by some little kid with a fucking God complex that felt the need to bully someone half his size.

The burnt wood scent lead me to a half run down, red paneled house in desperate need of a paint job. I knocked on the door roughly, splintering the already weak wooden door.

"Dude, who the fuck are you - " he didn't get a chance to finish because my hand closed around his throat, cutting off his air supply. He struggled against my arm, which I knew felt like it wouldn't break no matter how hard he tried to hit it.

"You listen to me, and you fucking listen good. If you ever, _ever_ put your hands on my sister or any other girl again, I will break your goddamn neck and bury your body twenty feet under. Do you fucking understand me?" His body kept struggling under my hand but his lips stayed shut. I could smell Tessa all over him.

"Answer me!"

"Yes!" He gasped out and I threw him back against the wall, denting the sheetrock and leaving him half broken on the floor. It was hard to leave him like that. It felt like a job only partially complete.

"Don't mess with the people I care about, or you won't get to see the light of day again." I'm sure I looked really scary - big, angry eyes, veins popping out everywhere, jaw clenched so tight my teeth felt like they were going to break. Through his coughing, his eyes filled with tears and I smiled. Good. You mess with the people I care about and you get to mess with me. And, for all intents and purposes, I'm pretty much indestructible.

I was still pretty angry. Who would do that to a girl? Especially one of my girls? _My_ sisters. I would always protect them, play worst nightmare to their enemies. Forever and even after that. They were, as much as I didn't want to admit it, the reason I kept coming home. They grounded me. Who knows what would've happened to me if I was alone. I distracted myself with that thought as I jogged the rest of the way back to my house, trying to shake the anger out of my body. It wasn't worth it to be angry anymore. I had taken care of the piece of shit that hurt her.

But then why the fuck was I still shaking? But by the time I reached my front door, the shaking had stopped. There were still sobs coming from inside and walked through the door, carefully trying to not break the it. It usually wasn't a problem but when I was this out of control of my emotions, I did stupid things like break the front door... repeatedly.

There were angry black and blue bruises that ran along Tessa's wrists, and a few scratches that ran along the side of her cheek. Mina was sitting with her, two tiny bodies wrapped around each other. As soon as I walked into the living room, Tessa threw herself into my arms, which were always ready to catch her. She never needed them before, though, and it threw me off guard.

"You okay, Tess?"

"No!" She cried into my shoulder. "I was s-so scared and you weren't there! You weren't there!" I had told her that I'd always be there and when she needed me, _really_ needed me, I wasn't there to protect her.

"I know. I'm sorry." Her words cut into me like a serrated knife, tearing open every sealed emotion about my parents, my life, and my pitiful excuse as a brother. Her terrified, shuttering body tearing new holes into the old ones.

I knew what it was like to be scared. I didn't remember it well, but my mother and I had been victims of domestic abuse. My dad - no, he wasn't that. He was the asshole that I shared half of my DNA with. He would beat her in a drunken stupor, his strong hands smashing her head against the wall, breaking my ribs as he beat me against the table. I knew what it was like to be terrified with someone overpowering you. And I'd be damned if anyone I loved ever felt that.

But I had let her feel that, I had let one of the most important people in my life be scared of someone else. Never again. _Never_. I would kill the next person. Rip them limb from limb, drain the life right out of them. Tessa's sobs slowed and her grip on my shirt loosened.

I let her cry herself dry and when she finally relaxed into my arms, her breathing slowing, I knew she had run herself to sleep. We had ended up on the couch, Mina rubbing soothing circles on her back, as I held her. I lifted her easily into her bed, making sure she was warm enough and her butterfly night light was on.

Mina sat at the kitchen table, marker in hand, back to coloring in the stupid poster. I sat next to her, head in hands.

"I am so incredibly sorry. I swear it's not usually like this." She dropped the marker, smiling at me as she did so, and came to sit in my lap. Like an immediate spark, we were connected, skin on skin. Her soft hands under my shirt, running down the planes of my chest.

"I think that was incredibly amazing of you. She is so lucky to have you in her life."

"I don't think so. I let her down. That should never have happened to her. I'm fucking made of iron - who in their right mind would try to do that to _my_ sister ?"

"Well I think it was amazing. It was... committed. You were so ready to kill the person who hurt her. Where's your other sister?" Her teeth bit down on my ear, sending a rush of blood to my head.

"Sleeping over at a friend's house. Why?" Her nails were sending goosebumps wherever they trailed.

"Because I want you." Bingo. Mother-load. Fucking jackpot. There's nothing hotter than a girl telling you how much she wants you.

"Well, as a gentleman, I'd be honored to oblige you."

"Then what are you waiting for?" I lifted her by her perfectly rounded ass, her legs resting against my hips, and lead her into my room. The master bedroom. The bed was unmade from this morning and the sheets should've been washed a while ago but she didn't seem to notice any of that, ripping my shirt off and wriggling under me to get her's off too.

If there was one thing I knew was absolutely true, it was that you have to please the lady first in order to get what you want. And that's usually pretty fun too. I almost ripped her bra in two because my big hands kept fumbling. But she reached back and unhooked it expertly. She was so gorgeous with her hair all messy, wild, lust driven look in her eyes. She nearly forced my head to her chest. That was my second favorite part of her body. The first would be her toned, muscled ass, which my hands couldn't seem to get enough of no matter how hard they tried. Her body arched into mine as I pushed familiar buttons. A swirl of the tongue here, a graze of the teeth there and soon enough she was rocking her hips against mine, desperate for friction.

"Fuck!" She nearly shouted when her hot center hit my hard on directly. "Take it off!" Was she serious? There was only one way to find that out, and that was to make her go first. I slid my hands down her zipper, kissing my way down her stomach as her hands tangled in my now grow-out hair.

"You - you don't have to," she tightened her legs so that I couldn't slide the denim down her thighs.

"But I want to." Her leg relaxed and the jeans slid down with ease. Her underwear was pink and white polka-doted, contrasting sharply with the ridiculously dark skin of her beautifully toned thighs.

"Is this okay?" I asked tentatively as I shifted the panties a little lower. She didn't respond, only lifted her hips further. It was almost like she could read my mind. No guy ever wanted answers, action is just fine. I removed the now annoying white panties, ready for the challenge. It wasn't like this was completely uncharted territory. I'd been here twice before and both of those times I had been half-drunk with highly inebriated girls. But you can't swim until you jump in the water right? So that's what I did. I jumped, head first, into her. Her leg lifted onto my shoulder to give me better access and there I was, mastering the art of the womanhood.

Moans, sighs, and most importantly, my name being called over and over _and over_ again. It wasn't that hard to get her to come. A little pressure here, a little faster when she made _that_ sound. And my extra wolf heat added a little kick too. I was almost painfully hard by the time she came for the third time. It was like I was conducting a symphony, pulling her body through notes she didn't know she could hit. My tongue and fingers harmonizing with the sounds she made. She shuddered under me and I knew that was the end of it. She was a virgin, her ridiculously tight walls gave that away, so she wasn't used to the emotional overload. Her eyes closed as she lay naked in front of me, every part of her tiny, toned body. It was beautiful. Her breath came in ragged and shallow.

"You okay?" I was a little out of breath too. Trying to maintain composure was damn near impossible when you had a wild animal trapped inside of you, wanting to claim whichever female was under you at the time.

"Where the hell did you learn how to do that?" It was a little hard for her to get out a full sentence.

"I -"

"Wait," she cut me off. "Don't answer that."

"Well it's not like I've been down there all that much. I kinda just guessed. I'm good with body language."

"You can say that again." Her eyes were still closed, her completely flushed body radiating a heat that I didn't know I could feel. I checked the clock on the wall. She had to be home in fifteen minutes. I felt like I was always running out of time.

"I have to take you home."

"Mmm, can't I just stay here?" Could she? Would I be able to control myself with her in the same bed? Probably not.

"What about your parents?" She muttered something incoherent and swung her leg over mine, completely unabashed that she was still entirely naked and I only had a pair of boxers on. I really needed to get her home. I withdrew myself from under her and pulled my jeans on, quickly sliding a shirt on from the floor. I slid her bra on as she continued to doze in an exhausted, climax induced state. She complied minimally, lifting her hips for me to slide her jeans on. Sometimes being responsible really sucked, but how else was I going to explain leaving at four am to go run around in the woods naked? And we couldn't have the 'rents mad at her.

I kissed every inch I could while I dressed her, taking my time along her ribcage, another favorite of mine. She shivered under me again and I was ready for round two. But she really needed to get home.

"Come on Babe, we need to go." She stared at me sadly and tried to walk but stumbled when she realized that her legs weren't exactly up to the task. "I'll carry you." I liked to have her body against mine better anyway.

"What the hell did you do to me?" She asked with a yawn. I was kinda proud of myself... and just a little ashamed. Why did I feel like we were moving too fast when it felt so good and there was nothing holding us back? And wasn't it good that I could make her feel like that? Or was I feeling selfish? I did that for me, really. I could concentrate on her, her warmth, her scent, instead of the mess that was inside of my head.

I set her down at her doorstep, she didn't live that far away from me so it wasn't suspicious if she walked home.

"Thank you," she sighed as she reached up to kiss me. I complied, threading my hands into her hair and massaging her scalp. She moaned into my mouth and pressed her body against me, begging for more. How could I deny that? I deepened it, pulling her tighter. She pulled back and leaned her forehead against mine and smiled, her stark white, straight as piano keys teeth shining in the dim porch light.

"Anytime, Babe."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sounds good. Call me." She nodded and walked a little shakily to the door. Her mom opened it and waved at me, classic messy painting apron on with a pretty smile.

"Goodnight Paul! Thanks for walking her home."

"No problem, Mrs. Weller," I smiled at her as Mina and her mother disappeared inside the house.

I ran home quickly, afraid to leave Tessa home for too long. She was pretty shaken up. I knew how she felt. And then every single thought that I had blocked out for the last hour came rushing back like a frigid wind whipping through my body and mind. I leaned my head against the door, trying to rid myself of today. It didn't work and I slammed the door, breaking it off the hinge. And then I threw it halfway across the front yard because that fucking door just pissed me the fuck off. Tessa came running out of her room, clothes and hair messed up, eyes still red from crying.

"What's the matter?" Her groggy voice was soft and cracked.

"Nothing, go back to sleep." She looked up at me, her light brown eyes holding so much grief I almost punched a hole through the wall.

"I'm sorry, Paul. I shouldn't have even told you." No, that was wrong. Why was I such a fucking asshole sometimes?

"Listen to me, Tessa Ryan Rivers, if you ever have a problem, _ever_, with anyone, you can always come to me." I grabbed her face gingerly in my hands so she was forced to look at me. "Promise me that you will."

"I will. I - I just... I didn't like feeling out of control." Story of my life.

"I know, Tess. I'm so sorry I wasn't there."

"You couldn't have known, you were here doing homework."

"I'm still sorry." Sometimes I forgot how young she was. It was like we had all aged years since our mother left us. She acted like she was twenty, but she was just thirteen and just beginning to try and figure life out. "Go take a shower, it'll make you feel better."

"Yeah, okay." She started to walk away, but she turned back to me. "Paul, I know I don't say it enough, but I love you, and I love that you're here for us."

"Love you too, Tess. If you have any problems with anyone, you know who to talk to."

"Yeah, I do." She walked into the bathroom and I heard the shower cut on a few seconds later. It wasn't even ten p.m. yet and I felt like I had dealt with a whole weeks worth of stress. And there was still more to take care of.

I called the number Laura had left me before going to sleep at her friends house and got an earful of screaming girls on the other line.

"Hello?" The mother answered through the high-pitched giggles.

"Uhm, hi. This is Laura's older brother, Paul. I just wanted to check in and make sure everything is okay and she's um, behaving."

"Oh of course, dear! She's an absolute angel, you have nothing to worry about."

"Okay, thank you. I just wanted to check, you can never be too careful, right?

"You are absolutely right, keep up the excellent work, young man. Your sisters are lucky to have such a caring, responsible older brother." I didn't quite know how to respond to that because it wasn't true.

"Well, they're my sisters."

"And they are lucky. I'll see you tomorrow, Paul."

"Sure thing, Mrs. Evans. Thank you for inviting her." I hated small talk with adults. It's like they thought of me as one of them when I was just some hormone-driven seventeen-year-old boy that couldn't really seem to do anything right.

But all was well, considering the situation. Tessa was maybe a little more cautious of the people she hung out with, and Laura was getting better at being with kids her own age. And I had a happy... girlfriend? Could Mina be considered my girlfriend? Well whatever she was, it was safe to say she was happy. And I was happy, even with a hurricane of emotions cycloning inside of my chest. Everything would be fine for the next six hours... until I woke up and it started all over again. But that's normal. One day at a time; dealing with life is one day at a time, I've learned.


	3. The Metaphorical One

**Hello, Gentle Reader! I have a question that I want you to keep in mind while reading this chapter. I'm trying to keep it classy here, yet keep all of the important information in to imply the right emotions. Paul and Mina's relationship is purely physical, based on animalistic instinct more than their actual attraction for each other... right now at least. So, back to the question: Do you think it's distasteful? Because I'd love to hear your opinions and, if necessary, change some things for the future. Thank you for your input. Happy reading :) **

Mina

I'd never felt like he makes me feel, never been able to let something get so far and be so intense. But that's what Paul was. Intense and scary, and new and exciting, and he was _so_ goddamn attractive. I don't know what I was thinking, getting involved with him.

We had always been in the same group of friends and he had always been gorgeous but never like he was when he came back to school a couple of weeks ago. He was more... well, just more now. He was big and warm and something entirely different. And I really didn't know what got into me that one day in history class. It started as innocent flirting and the next week it turned into make-out sessions and a week after that it had turned into third-base in a conference room in the library. He was just so good at making my heart beat fast.

I hadn't told Kim. It was eating away at me but I don't think I could bear to tell her how far I'd gone with a guy who I just started to get to know. I don't think I could take the disappointing look I would get from her. It's not like she had been around that much though. We still rode together and I saw her everyday at school, but something was missing. Our friendship was missing. I knew something was going on with Jared and her but I didn't know how to confront her. She didn't offer anything and I wasn't about to ask. We hadn't gone out to dinner in a while, and we used to have sleepovers all the time. It just wasn't the same. It gnawed constantly in the pit of my stomach. Except for when I was... distracted with Paul.

Paul and I were supposed to finish our project today but it was early and we had agreed on later tonight. We both knew what would happen tonight: I would go to his house, work on the project with him staring at me like that, and one thing would lead to another.

I saw a side of him yesterday though, a side that changed my view of him. He was a guy and I was a girl and I really liked him. That part was simple. But yesterday, I saw that he wasn't just a guy. He was a big brother, a Dad, a protector and he also had one hell of a temper. Him going to beat the piss out of some idiot who tried to hurt his sister shouldn't have turned me on so much. But it did. Seeing how devoted he was to her, seeing how angry someone trying to hurt her made him, made me want to jump his bones right there. The way he held her as she cried, reassured her that he'd always be there made me even a little jealous.

I had never, _ever_, felt like this. I was fun and energetic and I liked to kiss boys at parties that I planned. I didn't like to give myself over and over to someone that I hadn't even known. I had never even got past making out with a guy before Paul. He... excited something in me, I guess. The way the muscles in his abdomen clenched when he was on top of me, the way his biceps flexed as he moved above me, the way his eyes closed as he made contact with my skin. I was swimming in want just thinking of him. He was so positive when we were like that, so confident. Like he knew exactly how to take care of everything. And my God did he know.

But was this purely physical? Was I just in love with his body? Probably. Did that make it any less exciting? Nope. But this was something serious, right? And I was _never_ serious. I liked to have fun and I most certainly didn't take relationships seriously. Then why did I feel like being serious with Paul?. Was it because I had given something to him that I had never even thought about giving to anyone for long time? Was it because he was an adult, like a real adult? Or was it because I was growing up?

My head was in the clouds all day and nearly forgot that I had another horse to ride before lunch. Looked like Beach Bar wasn't happening today. I passed Kim in the aisle and she didn't look up from her phone, typing away on her blackberry. If it had been any other day, I would've followed her and made her talk to me, but I was on a schedule, with Paul waiting just a few hours away. I didn't put all my effort into riding my last horse, Finn, and he started acting up a little, which made it difficult to stop riding. But I did, and I didn't clean my tack either. I just put it away and left without a goodbye to anyone. It wasn't that I was trying to be rude or distant, it was that I wanted to actually work on the project before I headed over to Paul's. He made sure that his sisters were busy for the night.

I didn't worry about him being presumptuous because I was the same way. I wasn't his girlfriend, obviously. I had had millions of boyfriends, it seemed like. And this was not a girlfriend-boyfriend relationship. But there was no doubt that I really liked him and I really, _really_ liked the way he made me feel. This was reckless and stupid and probably going to lead to something that really wasn't in my best interest. But I wanted it; I wanted to be reckless in stupid. Those millions of boyfriends hadn't meant a damn thing and that's the way I wanted it. Nothing in high school is ever supposed to mean anything; it was supposed to be fun. This was fun... and hot. And heavy.

So no, actually, it wasn't fun, was it?

But maybe that was what I needed. Hot, heavy, intense. Would it last? Probably not. But I wanted it all the same.

So my head was a mess and this constant daunting of _Paul_, _Paul_, _Paul_ in there was quite bothersome. I hadn't even brought the poster to his house. Why should I bother with formalities? I lead him into his dark room, bare walls and white comforter. I made a note to fix this. There was no need for such a boring room. Would I be around that long to help him paint?

I lost track of my thoughts as he lost his shirt, running my hands up his glorious body over and over. I liked feeling him under my fingertips. We became one body, his and mine, one color and nothing in between up from the torso. His weight was enormous as he used his hands to touch me in places I didn't even knew existed. His body was outrageously hot, like millions of degrees hotter than mine. He liked to have his hands in my hair, twisted in the strands, using it as leverage to my neck, which he also seemed to like. He liked a lot of things about me and when he payed special attention, my mind slipped and I couldn't help what came out of my mouth.

But there was always that constant nagging in the back of my mind. What were we? And what exactly were we doing with each other? I had to ask.

"P-Paul," I whispered. I was actually surprised that I managed that.

"Mmhmm?"

"What are we?"

"Whatever you want us to be," he answered as his teeth made contact with my earlobe, sending thousands of tiny electrical pulses from there to my toes. It wasn't really a straight answer but I didn't honestly expect one. So I hitched a leg over his hip and let him rock me into a different world.

I hadn't even thought about reciprocating until this very moment. I kinda just let him have his way with my body without asking any questions. But now seemed to be a good time to make that up. I pushed on his chest, asking him to flip.

"Too much?" He was cute, worrying about me.

"Not nearly enough, but I think it's time to change things up a bit."

"Oh really?" He was both teasing and actually unsure. I couldn't tell which was more prominent, however, so I didn't stop. It was... different with him underneath me. With him on top of me, I felt like he molded and shaped every inch that he touched. I was free up here, and a little chilly, as he settled in between my legs, resting his head on the wall. I could feel him through his thick denim jeans.

"You don't need to, you know that right?"

"Yeah, I know, but why should you have all the fun?"

"W-whatever you say," he stuttered as my tongue ran along his jugular, his neck tightening under me. His hands came to rest on my hips, and his biceps flexed to keep his forearms from squeezing too tight.

"I'm not breakable, you know," I muttered as I messaged the tension out of his neck with my hands.

"Yes you are." I could feel the deep vibrations in his chest as he spoke, radiating along my spine and creating goose bunps on my arms. I let what he said slide. I was done teasing and I could almost feel him trembling underneath me. He had never teased me and I don't think I'd like it much if he did. So I took a deep breath because I had never done this before and if he was proportional in all areas, then I had my work cut out for me. I slid his jeans and his boxers off, not bothering to look up at him or ask permission.

He was, indeed, proportional and that was a little nerve wracking. He contemplated the look in my eyes; he seemed completely at ease with his nudity. "I said it once and I said it again. I like spending time with you, I don't need anything in return." That was a lie. He was stupid if he thought I believed him.

"Whatever." I sized him once more. He was worth it. I kissed down his stomach and he adjusted his legs underneath me to make it more comfortable. Something told me that he had been in this position before. I could feel him stirring underneath me as I drew lazy designs on the ridges of his abdomen with my tongue. It was amazing how something like that could turn someone on. I knew he could get me off with just kisses.

I started slow. I had never done this before but I wasn't going in unprepared, that was for sure. I had... _researched_ proper technique and everything. But this was like something totally foreign staring me right in the face. The only way to do something is to go in head first right? So... that's what I did. I started slow at the bottom. I heard it was good to start there, to not shock the sensitive male _anatomy_, and work your way up. And I paid attention to everything, not just his main piece of _equipment_, if you will. He was quiet and I looked up. His mouth was half open, head resting against the wall, eyes rolled back into his head. Well that was definitely a good sign. His hands were white with pressure as they fisted the sheets.

"Jesus Christ," he muttered as I moved a little faster against him, trying to be firm but gentle with the most sensitive part of his body. It was odd to have the roles reversed, he was usually the one making my eyes roll into the back of my head. I hummed a little against him, trying to pull out some of the tricks that I head read about. I wondered briefly if this was how he had felt - analytical, questioning, not exactly enjoying it but not repulsed. I sped up further and changed the tempo, starting to use my hands as well.

"Fuck, Mina I'm -" he didn't get to finish because he shot out and into me... which was gross, but worth it when his eyes popped open in utter admiration.

"What?"

"I can't believe you let me do that."

"Yeah, well. You didn't exactly give me a lot of time..."

"Sorry." He had the decency to look bashful and I smiled. While the experience wasn't exactly fun, per say, it was definitely worth it for the glazed, tired look he gave me. Now I knew what I looked like after he did that to me. It put a smile on my face. I felt kind of... salty, so I made my way off of the bed and into the small bathroom that was attached. I located some mouth wash and rinsed throughly before walking back inside to a bleary eyed Paul.

"Paul?"

"Mhm?" His head lolled to look at me through his lidded gaze.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"What? No! Why would you think that?"

"I don't know maybe your tired or have stuff to do..." I left the end of the sentence hanging, trying to imply that I knew that we were a purely physical relationship; I liked his body, and he liked mine. He slid his boxers on and held out a hand.

"Come lie here with me... unless you want to leave, that is." I didn't want to leave. And even though he said 'lie' I knew he meant something else.

"You mean snuggle?" I grinned at him as he nodded. Men and their antics. "Say it or I won't come over there." He rolled his eyes and shook his hand, trying to get me to comply. I crossed my arms and silently challenged him. He sighed and smiled at me before darting out of the bed and tackling me into it.

"Hey! You don't play fair!" I wasn't honestly mad at him.

"Yeah, well let me make it up to you." I felt his weight settle nicely over me and I couldn't help but smile as he kissed me. His kisses were lighter than usual, like he was less interested in getting to a destination and more interested in taking a leisurely walk. Which was fine. I hadn't realized it but it was already dark out.

"What time is it?" I asked as his lips played over my shoulder. He glanced up quickly before returning and mumbling "Ten-ish." I didn't have to be home for a while.

"You know my curfew is one on weekends. We have time to kill."

"Maybe I don't want to kill time."

"Well maybe I do." He sighed and became serious instantly.

"Do you really want that." Did I?

"No, not yet. _Cuddling_ sounds nice." He rolled his eyes and adjusted himself to fit around me, engulfing me in his muscled arms. His breath came deep and consistently. It was hard not to be lulled. He threaded one of his huge legs between us, connecting our skin in as many places as possible. He snuggled his nose into the space between my neck and shoulder, kissing the skin there instantly. It was soothing like this instead of igniting and I wondered briefly about the change before drifting off.

Paul

"Shh! You're gonna wake them up and you _know_ that Paul gets really mad when we wake him up!"

"Shut up, Laura."

"Don't tell me to shut up!"

"Are they naked? Did they... ya know, do _that_ thing."

"Honestly, Laura? You sound like you're three."

"Well, it's gross! And Paul wouldn't do that. He's not married yet."

"Yes, but he _is_ a male."

My sisters weren't exactly subtle and I slid my eyes open for a minute, watching them trying to peer through a crack in the door. I made eye contact with Tessa and brought a finger to my lips, silently begging her to be quiet. She nodded and shook her head at me, rolling her eyes in a very condescending way. It's strange to feel ashamed in front of your thirteen year old sister.

Mina stretched suddenly, bringing her hands back and when she hit my head, she turned quickly in my arms, nearly making me fall out of the bed.

"Tell me we-we... didn't.... _Please_ tell me we didn't... you know." Panic laced her tired voice as she scrambled about in the mess of sheets.

"No we didn't. Relax." I made to kiss her cheek but she moved quickly out of the bed, finally free, and threw on her clothes from last night that were scattered about the bedroom floor.

"What's wrong?"

"Uh... nothing. I'll call you later." She ran from my room, a wild and not so comforting look gracing her delicate features and I sat there a little dumbfounded as the front door slammed shut. I hate that fucking door.

"So I guess you don't want breakfast!" I called after her, hoping that this was all a joke and she had not actually just run full tilt out of my room after the amazing night that I _thought_ we had had. Apparently she did.

...Was it something that I had done? Did she not feel comfortable with... the level that our relationship was on? Did I _say_ something? An unpleasant knot formed in the pit of my stomach, twisting its way through my body to my heart. Not my actual one, but the metaphorical one, I guess. She was supposed to soothe that part, though, and now it seemed liked she was another vine wrapping it in a death grip. I grasped at my chest like that would help, wrapped in the sheets of last night and the heartache too.

This was _**not**_ supposed to happen. It really just wasn't. It should've been fine that she wanted nothing to do with me anymore. Fine, let her leave. I don't need her, she doesn't need me. That's the way it was supposed to be. That was the way that we had made it, the way that she had allowed it to be. And right now? Right now, I was _not_ supposed to feel like the worlds biggest ass with the worlds biggest panic attack teetering on the brink of my sanity. But the more I thought about it, the more constricted I began to feel; the more I couldn't breathe.

She had made me feel, for the first time in a while, that everything was going to be okay. That when I made her moan like that, everything was just right and I was doing my job. But now she was gone. And from the way that it had just transpired, it looked like she wasn't coming back. That cut a little too deep for my liking.


End file.
